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Saturday, March 16, 2013

Campsite Cleaning Tips!

Cleaning can take up a lot of your time while camping, but hopefully with these campsite cleaning tips you'll be laying back enjoying the sun in no time.No one wants to sleep in a tent full of dirt, so here are a few tips to keep your camping tent clean:♦ Lay a barrier between the tent and the ground. It could be a tarp or even a large shower curtain.♦ Lay another tarp inside the tent. This will not only give the sleeping area a little more cushion, but you can grab the 4 corners and drag the tarp out of the tent to shake the dirt and sand free.♦ Place a mat at the entrance of your tent or camper. Instruct everyone to wipe their feet before entering.♦ Sprinkle baby powder on the entrance mat. This will help remove sand off feet.♦ Keep a feather duster near the entrance of the tent or camper to remove sand off legs, ankles, and tops of feet. The kids love it!♦ Have another mat off to the side of the tent or camper entrance for holding shoes. No shoes inside is the rule!♦ Hang a few charcoal briquettes in a sock inside the tent. This will help absorb moisture and odors.Keeping hands clean is another dilemma. Of course it's good to get dirty, you're camping! But there are times when you want to see your little one's hands.♦ Save a gallon jug that can be filled with water, or buy a gallon of water in a plastic jug. Place the jug on the end of the picnic table, or hang from a tree. Punch a hole on the side of the jug near the bottom with a golf tee. When you need water, pull out the golf tee. When you're done with the water, replace the golf tee to stop the flow.Tip: A nail could work in place of the golf tee.

Bonus Tip: If you use those large plastic laundry detergent jugs with a spigot, those work perfectly, too.♦ You can also put a bar of soap in a knee-high pantyhose, and tie to the jug handle for added cleaning.♦ Clip a towel to the picnic table using a tablecloth clip, or use the paper towel hanger tip I have on my post Campsite Cooking Tips under the "Tips at the campsite" section.Tip: Shop towels work great as they are stronger than paper towels, but can still be thrown away.Garbage, garbage everywhere!♦ Yes, there will be garbage, so what's the easiest way to contain it? There are a few, but if you can get your hands on a pop up clothes hamper or two, your trash troubles are over.These are great for a few reasons.

They fold flat when not in use, so packing them for a camping trip is easy.

They usually have a zippered lid, so animals and kids can't play in the trash.

They will hold a regular kitchen trash bag, and if they do get dirty, you just hose them down.

They're also not as unsightly as having several store plastic bags hanging everywhere.LaundryThere just might be a need for doing a load of laundry while on your camping getaway. A laundromat is the first thing that comes to mind, but they can be expensive.I've had to do laundry on our 2 week camping trips. It's not fun, but it can be.♦ You'll need a 5-gallon bucket with lid, a new toilet plunger, and some detergent.♦ Cut a hole in the lid of the bucket just large enough to fit the handle of the plunger through. Punch a few holes in the rubber part of the plunger to allow water to flow through.♦ Fill the bucket about half way up with water, add some detergent and dirty clothes, and replace the lid with the plunger through the hole.Now the fun part! Plunge away! Better yet, have the kids do it! They'll love it! If you can't bring yourself to use a toilet plunger, whether clean or not, you can always purchase the Rapid Washer from Amazon which is a stepped up version of the toilet plunger.Hopefully some of these campsite cleaning tips will help you to have a relaxing and stress free camping getaway!Happy Camping!